Articulated buses in London
articulated bus]] articulated bus fleet at Waterloo Bus Garage]] bendy buses introduced to London]] Articulated buses, popularly called bendy-buses, were introduced to London in June 2002 when the then Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, introduced new Mercedes-Benz Citaros to Red Arrow commuter services 507 and 521. While articulated bus operation had been standard in many other countries, the UK had only sparingly tried their use. Therefore, the introduction of the type in London caused a lot of press attention. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/03/24/firebreathing_buses_threaten_london/ As part of his 2008 Mayoral campaign, in 2007 Boris Johnson pledged to withdraw bendy buses and introduce a modern replacement of the Routemaster bus. In 2009, the first three bendy bus routes were to be replaced with conventional low-floor single and double decker buses, and a prototype for a Future Routemaster was to be on the streets by 2012. Background Articulated buses have been introduced on several major, high-capacity routes in the 2000s, coinciding with withdrawal from passenger service of the Routemaster bus from the streets. The Routemasters, involving a step upwards and poor accessibility did not conform to the Disability Discrimination Act. There was also the risk of litigation over accidents involving the Routemaster's rear open platform. Articulated buses with multiple doors and simultaneous boarding arrangements are capable of loading and off-loading many more passengers in less time than conventional double decker buses and Routemasters. Articulated buses also have a much higher passenger capacity, being able to carry over 140 people per vehicle compared to 77 in a Routemaster although the proportion of standing passengers is increased. Articulated buses take up more road space per vehicle (18 metres or 59 feet long compared to 9.1 metres or 30 feet for a Routemaster and 10 metres or 33 feet for a double decker), although in terms of road surface used per passenger, there is little difference between double decker buses (which stack passengers vertically on two floors) and articulated buses - 11.8 cm road surface length per Routemaster passenger against 12.8 cm per articulated bus passenger: 8.7% more. The increased vehicle size means they are more likely to block junctions and cause difficulties for other road users. Press coverage regarding cyclists and motorcyclists has been generally negative due to the reduced viewpoint of the driver and greater likelihood of cyclists to enter blind spots. Incidents Fires During the initial stages of deployment of the articulated buses, between December 2003 and March 2004 there were three similar fires on the new Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses, causing concern over the possibility of an in-built risk to the public. In one incident, a bus caught fire on its delivery route to its operator. The fires caused the temporary withdrawal and modification of the entire fleet of 130 buses, and some fixed standard Citaro buses. The buses, which were dubbed by the London Evening Standard as "Ken's chariots of fire", were brought back into service after engineers replaced and modified problematic pipework in the bus engines. A later fire was ruled out as unconnected. A TfL spokesman stated that "Fires on all buses are rare, and bendy buses are no more prone to such incidents than other bus models".Bendy bus fires 'not connected' BBC News 2 Oct 2007 Increased fare evasion The introduction of articulated buses has increased fare evasion as passengers are able to enter through any door, leading to the buses becoming known to Londoners as "The Free Bus". On other UK buses (including articulated buses outside London), entry is only permitted via the front entrance, which is monitored by the driver and thus discourages evasion. As a result, Transport for London recruited an extra 150 Revenue Protection Inspectors to police revenue collection. Safety criticisms Opponents of articulated buses claim that they have a poor safety record. The London Evening Standard has claimed that they are involved in 75% more collisions than other buses. TfL has disputed this, pointing out that as there are more articulated buses, they encounter more road users. In September 2007, Boris Johnson, the Conservative Party candidate for the 2008 Mayor of London elections has said that his first act as mayor of London will be to scrap bendy buses and replace them with a 'modern-day Routemaster' with an open rear platform and a conductor, describing the articulated buses as 'cyclist killing'. The then incumbent, Ken Livingstone, pointed out that no London cyclist had ever been killed by an articulated bus. During the televised mayoral debate on 8 April 2008, Jeremy Paxman asked Johnson what the cost of his proposal would be twelve times but received no answer. Planned withdrawal In August 2008, following the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor of London, it was announced the bendy buses would be withdrawn as their 5 year operating contracts came to an end, starting from May 2009, and completed by 2013 (or 2015 depending on contract extensions).Buses Magazine, August 2008 issue, page 5, Ian Allen Publishing Transport for London now intends to withdraw all articulated vehicles by 2011. Research by London TravelWatch has indicated that such a withdrawal could prove costly to TfL. A study conducted in September 2008 found that replacing articulated vehicles on routes 38, 507, and 521, whilst maintaining overall route capacity, would cost an additional £12.6m per annum, due to the additional vehicles necessitated. The first articulated vehicles to be replaced were those on route 507, which were replaced by twelve-metre long single-deck buses in July 2009. Route 521 was converted to operate with similar buses in September 2009. Articulated buses were replaced by double-deckers on route 38 in November 2009. Route 149 was converted to double deck on 16 October 2010, and route 18 on 13 November 2010. In both cases the peak vehicle requirement increased. On 25 June 2011, Route 25 was taken over by First Capital from Stagecoach London and was converted to double deck, On 3 September 2011, Route 73 was converted to double deck. Route 453 will be going on 24 September 2011, route 12 will be going on 15 November 2011, route 436 will be going on 19 November 2011, route 29 will be going on 26 November 2011 and route 207 will be leaving the streets on the last day of the year, 31 December 2011 Withdrawn buses have already found their way to other parts of the UK with some going to Arriva Midlands in Leicester, some going to Arriva in Liverpool, some going to Brighton and Hove and some will be going out of the UK to Arriva in Malta. List of articulated bus routes in London London Buses route 12 File:London Bus route 12.jpg| The 12 bus heading towards Dulwich Library. File:London Bus route 12 Leaving Barry Road.jpg| The 12 bus Leaving Barry Road. File:London Central MAL77 BX54 UDG.JPG| The 12 bus. File:Bus in central London - DSC04240.JPG| The 12 bus heading towards Dulwich Library. London Buses route 18 File:London Bus route 18.jpg| The 18 bus heading towards Sudbury. File:London Buses route 18 Harrow Rd.jpg| The 18 bus heading towards Sudbury. File:First London EA11066 LV52 VFW rear.JPG| A rear view of the 18. File:First London EA11066 LV52 VFW.JPG| The 18 bus at Euston station. London Buses route 25 File:East London 23076 LX04 LCV.JPG| The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus. File:London Bus route 25.jpg| The 25 bus heading towards Ilford. File:East London 23059 LX04 LBP.JPG| The 25 bus heading towards Oxford Circus. File:Ilford bus, Tower Hill - DSC06953.JPG| The 25 bus at Tower Hill with the Shard London Bridge being built in the background. London Buses route 29 File:Arriva London North MA138 BX55 FWZ.JPG| The 29 bus heading towards Trafalgar Square. File:London Bus route 29.jpg| The 29 bus route. File:Arriva London North MA154 BX55 FXU rear.JPG| Rear view of a 29 bus. File:BX55FWL; Arriva London; Trafalgar Square (1).jpg| The 29 bus going towards Wood Green London Buses route 38 File:Arriva London MA90.JPG| The 38 bus heading towards London Victoria Station. File:New Oxford Street - geograph.org.uk - 240873.jpg| The 38 bus heading towards London Victoria Station. File:London Bus route 38 at Picadilly.jpg| A 38 at Picadilly. File:Arriva London North MA121 BX55 FVY 2.JPG| The 38 bus leaving London Victoria Station. London Buses route 73 File:Citaro G Arriva London.jpg| The 73 bus heading towards London Victoria Station. File:Bendy Bus 73 at Victoria Bus Station.jpg| The 73 bus at London Victoria Station. File:London Bus route 73 Oxford Street 036.jpg| A 73 bus at Oxford Street. File:Victoria Bus Station - geograph.org.uk - 1544055.jpg| The 73 bus at London Victoria Station. London Buses route 149 File:Arriva London North MA29 BX04 MYF.JPG| The 149 bus heading towards London Bridge. File:Arriva London North MA63 BX04 NCJ.JPG| The 149 bus on London Bridge. File:Arriva London North MA39 BX04 NEJ.JPG| The 149 bus at London Bridge station. File:Edmonton Green bus station - DSC06930.JPG| The 149 bus at Edmonton Green bus station. London Buses route 207 File:First London EA11045 LK05 FDJ.JPG| The 207 bus heading towards White City. File:First London EA11060 LK05 FCZ.JPG| The 207 bus heading towards White City. File:London Buses route 207 Ealing.jpg| The The 207 bus at Ealing. File:London Buses route 207 053.jpg| The 207 bus heading towards Hayes By-Pass. London Buses route 436 File:London Central MAL38 BD52 LNP.JPG| The 436 bus heading towards Lewisham. File:London Central MAL46 on 436.JPG| The 436 bus turning & heading towards Lewisham. File:BendyBus.jpg| Rear view of a 436 bus. File:London Bus route 436.jpg| The 436 bus heading towards Paddington Station. London Buses route 453 File:London General MAL108 on 453.JPG| The 453 bus heading towards Deptford Bridge DLR station. File:London bus route 453.jpg| The 453 bus heading towards Deptford Bridge DLR station. File:London General MAL97 BD57 WDA.JPG| The 453 bus heading towards Marylebone. File:453 to Deptford Bridge - geograph.org.uk - 700876.jpg| Two 453 buses at a bus stop & heading towards Deptford Bridge DLR station. London Buses route 507 File:London Bendy Bus.jpg| The 507 bus heading towards Waterloo Station. File:Go Ahead London articulated bus Mercedes Benz Citaro G Red Arrow Route 507 in Victoria Bus Station, London 2 April 2007.jpg| The 507 bus in Victoria Bus Station. File:London General MAL21 BX02 YYJ rear.JPG| A rear view of The 507 bus. File:London General MAL21 BX02 YYJ.JPG| The 507 bus at Waterloo Station. London Buses route 521 File:London General MAL17 BX02 YZA rear.JPG| A top view of 521 bus. File:Go Ahead London articulated bus Mercedes Benz Citaro G Red Arrow Route 521 in London Bridge bus station 18 January 2008.jpg| The 521 bus in London Bridge bus station. File:London General MAL12 BX02 YYT 2.JPG| The 521 bus leaving London Bridge bus station. File:London General MAL17 BX02 YZA.JPG| The 521 bus on the London Bridge. See also * Articulated bus * London mayoral election, 2008 * Buses in London * List of bus types used in London * Articulated buses in the United Kingdom References External links * Transport for London - Buses * London Travel Watch Category:Bus transport in London